Disney Partnership Inspires Girls

In a partnership that leverages the strengths of both organizations, Disney has partnered with Sport England’s “This Girl Can” program, which inspires women and girls to get active. The Disney/“This Girl Can” activation uses famous Disney tunes to encourage moms and daughters to try out fun dance routines together.

“Working with ‘This Girl Can’ to create fun, authentic content that uses the power of Disney story-telling to inspire mums and kids to have fun while breaking a sweat is perfectly aligned with our Disney Healthy Living strategy,” said Marianthi O’Dwyer, Disney’s Vice President of Healthy Living UK.

“This Girl Can” has been successful since its launch in 2015, with nearly 3 million women choosing to get active after being motivated by the campaign. The initiative is intended to help women get healthy and start moving by playing a sport or choosing an exercise regimen that works for their lifestyle, and without worrying about getting the “perfect body.” The “This Girl Can” partnership with Disney is aimed at moms who don’t want to take time away from their families to exercise.

Although a success, “This Girl Can” was having some difficulty reaching a diverse group of engaged users. The organization’s strategy has broadened to “go where the women are,” including more inclusive content, communications and additional channels. In a study conducted by Sport England, 61% of moms said they feel guilty about exercising when it takes time away from their families, which is where the Disney partnership comes in.

“This Girl Can is about being inclusive and bringing people together, and Disney cuts across a lot of different barriers and has real universal appeal,” said “This Girl Can” campaign lead Kate Dale, adding “We are using mums’ kids to smuggle activity into their own lives. There are a lot of women who prioritize the needs of their children first and will be happy to get active for someone else more than they will for themselves. Your heart doesn’t really care as long as you are getting active. Whether it’s the gym or bouncing round to music videos.”

User Generated Content (UGC) Is An Effective Way To Bring Authenticity To A Marketing Campaign

The “This Girl Can” dance videos set to Disney tunes are being submitted by families across England, and Sport England is sharing them across social media and digital channels. “This Girl Can” was initially worried about partnering with a commercial brand that would be making a profit from the partnership, but ultimately felt the value Disney added to the campaign was a positive thing. Both entities benefitting is a great example of an effective strategic partnership.

The use of UGC, the mom and kid Disney dance videos, also add a realness and authenticity that could settle any nerves about appearing crass in the midst of a self-empowerment campaign. 48% of marketers find UGC a successful method for humanizing a marketing campaign, which is clearly achieved with the sharing of these fun and cheerful videos.

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About the Author

With more than 20 years of writing, editing and reporting experience, Sarah Cavill brings to Digital Media Solutions (DMS) a fine-tuned and diverse set of skills. Her work has been featured in notable publications including The Daily Muse, CBS Local, Techlicious and Glamour magazine. Sarah has a passion for current events and the deep-dive research that goes into the content development and brand identity of DMS Insights. In her role as Senior Marketing Communications Writer, Sarah contributes to the pitching, researching and writing of multiple stories published each week surrounding digital and performance marketing innovations in pop culture, news, social media, branding and advertising.